Psychology

Our four year BSc (Hons) Psychology course with integrated placement year is a fascinating subject that aims to understand why people behave in the way that they do, by considering the complex interplay between biological, psychological, environmental, cultural, and social influences on behaviour. This academic discipline encompasses a wide range of topics including: how changes in the brain influence behaviour, why false memories occur, why people behave differently when they are in a group, how language influences thinking, how we learn to understand other’s intentions, how psychological distress can be alleviated, why we identify with some people and not others, how subconscious processes influence our behaviour, and how our thinking develops as we grow from children to adults.

By choosing to study at Aston you will gain a degree accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), have the opportunity to complete a career-enhancing placement in the UK or internationally, and be taught by leading experts from a range of specialist psychological fields.

Key course benefits:

• Accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and confers eligibility for the Graduate Membership of the BPS, which is vital for students who wish to ultimately train as a professional psychologist (clinical, educational, forensic, occupational etc) . It is also the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist.

• Our integrated placement year will give you the opportunity to gain valuable real-wold experience, setting your studies in the context of a working environment, designed to boost your future employment prospects. Placements can be taken in a psychology or related professional setting in both the UK and abroad.

• 93% of our students felt positive about the academic support provided on their course (Psychology, National Student Survey, 2024).

• Ranked top 13th in the UK for Graduate Prospects – on track (Psychology, Complete University Guide, 2025).

• Our recent graduates have gone on to secure work in organisations such as the NHS, the City Council, the UK police force, and mental health charities.

• You’ll be taught by research-led academics. Our School of Psychology is home to a large range of teaching and research active staff with interests in neuroscience and neurodevelopment, ageing, cognitive and affective neuroscience, neuroimaging (including neuroimaging of clinical populations), health and lifespan development, and sensory and perceptual systems.

Placements
Studying Psychology at Aston provides the opportunity to take a psychology or a related professional placement year in the UK or overseas. Taking a placement year gives you valuable life experience in the context of working alongside professionals in a working environment and helps you to develop new skills and abilities. They are both personally enriching and highly valued by future employers. Recent students at Aston have completed a range of fascinating placements, both in the UK and abroad. For example:

• undertaking a study exchange in South Australia

• being a research assistant in neuropsychology in Brazil

• being a special constable in the police force

• offering mental health support and counselling for a social support charity

• shadowing clinical psychologists in an NHS trust

All students will receive specialist support and supervision for their specific placement. There is an overall placement tutor for the year group, and students are also allocated an individual placement tutor.

Students who enter placements in the NHS may be required to pay for DBS checks and occupational health checks.

We no longer offer a Foundation Programme. If you select Year 0 on your application form, this will be amended to Year 1 at the admissions review stage.

Year 1
Studying the key topics that will form the basis of your psychology education, you’ll learn how to articulate your gained knowledge of core theories and concepts and discover more about the possible graduate career pathways open to you. Core modules: Key Skills in Psychology I, Key Skills in Psychology II, Biological and Cognitive Psychology, Developmental and Social Psychology, Foundations of Contemporary Psychology, and Introduction to Clinical Psychology. In addition you will select two optional modules.

Year 2
Build on the core grounding you gained in your first year, as well as being introduced to exciting new subject areas such as lifespan development and cognitive neuropsychology. You’ll gain communication and critical thinking skills, along with developing your ability to use a wide range of statistical and qualitative research methods.Core modules: Research Methods and Data Analysis, Applied Psychology and Professional Skills, Social Psychology, Brain and Behaviour, Lifespan Development, Individual Differences and Personality, Cognition and Cognitive Neuropsychology. In addition, you will select one optional module.

Placement year
Your opportunity to gain valuable career boosting experience by setting your studies in a real-world context of a working environment alongside professionals.

Final year
You will select and complete eight specialist modules that fit your interests, and conduct a research project in a specialist area of your choice with support from our expert psychology staff.

For more information, please visit our website.

You will encounter a variety of learning opportunities, including:

lectures
practical sessions
interactive workshops and tutorials
group work.
At university, there is a much stronger emphasis on private reading and independent study than at school or college. However, we are here to support you in making this transition and to help you manage your learning. For example we set out your work for the year in an online student guide, which includes full details of all modules including week-by-week lecture breakdowns, reading lists and all coursework assignments for the year with the relevant deadlines.

You will be assessed throughout the course. A wide range of assessments linked to learning outcomes are used, including:

class tests/end of year examinations (unseen essay, short answer or multiple choice questions)
essays
research reports (group or individual)
presentations
statistics assignments
oral presentations.

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• British Psychological Society